Star Wars Episode 3: Path To Darkness
by LucasFan89
Summary: After marrying Padme and defying the Jedi what will happen to Anakin? Guess you'll have to read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. This is not what WILL happen in episode 3, but merely what I believe will happen based on information from the other 5 movies.  
  
**Resubmitted to combine Chapters 1 and 2.**  
  
A/N: Okay my first fic. Probably a hundred other Episode 3 fics but oh well. No flames please. Criticisms appreciated but please don't just flame it.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The Coruscant landing platform E-579 was empty that day except for the minimal staff. No one special was there to greet Anakin and Padme Skywalker as they walked out of their small ship. The same Royal Cruiser that they had flown to Geonosis and back. They had just returned from their wedding on Naboo. Anakin almost leaned down to kiss her but remembered that no one could know what they were. He planned on keeping it a secret until he became a Jedi. Once he became a Jedi Master, who could stop him from using his power? If anyone knew he would be removed from the Jedi Order and sent back to Tatooine probably to his stepfather to become a moisture farmer. He shuddered at the thought of spending his days doing the work of a farmboy with nothing for excitement but killing womprats with a T-16 (A/N: did I get that right?)  
  
Anakin took Padme to the Galactic Senate and left for the Jedi Temple. Padme took an elevator up to the Chancellor's office. As she walked in, the Chancellor looked up from his work. Seeing that it was her, he immediately shuffled the papers into his desk.  
  
"I am glad to see you, m'lady. After the ordeal on Geonosis, we rallied the clones. They are now aboard star destroyers, heading for nearby planets to install the new government."  
  
Padme was taken by surprise. It took her a moment for her to regain her composure. "New government? I was not informed. The Galactic Sen." she started, but was abruptly cut off.  
  
"The Imperial Senate now, m'lady. Using my emergency powers that were granted to me by the Galactic Senate, I have installed a new government. One of order that will bring crime to an end. With thousands of clone troopers, now known as storm troopers amongst the military leaders, on each planet, criminals will not dare defy us." Explained Palpatine.  
  
Padme was stunned. She had been away from Coruscant for only a month and already THIS had happened? "Won't the leaders of the planets resist such intervention?" she managed after gathering herself once again.  
  
"There has been some unrest in the Senate. Mon Mothma leads a group of Senators that are opposed to this new government. She has very followers and is not much of a problem at this time. As for the leaders of the planets, we may experience difficulties somewhere but we'll face those problems when they come. Only the 4 central planets are going to be controlled for now. The leaders support my plan so there shouldn't be any conflicts. Tarkin, the leader of Srao, has been exceedingly generous with his support and has even contributed to the cause by ordering more clones. We now have the 190,000 of the 200,000 used in Geonosis, plus 400,00 that were created after the battle. 600,000 were order by Syfodias and are still in construction. Another 500,000 were ordered by Tarkin. The Imperial Army is now the ultimate force in the universe. Nothing will stop us from achieving flawless order in every planet." Explained the Emperor proudly.  
  
By this time, Padme's head was spinning. 590,000 soldiers that were as docile as cows? Imperial control over every planet? This couldn't be possible! It took Padme about 10 seconds to remember that she was talking to somebody. "I'm sorry. If you don't mind, I will retire. I have a lot to think about."  
  
The Chancellor bowed politely. "I understand m'lady. Farewell."  
  
Padme left the room slowly, still not understanding all that had happened.  
  
* * *  
  
Anakin was met by Obi Wan unexpectedly at the door to the Jedi Temple.  
  
"You took a while on Naboo," said Obi Wan suspiciously as they ascended in the turbolift.  
  
"I was delayed by some conflicts on the planet," lied Anakin.  
  
Obi Wan nodded and looked like he was going to say something else but the rest of the ride was in silence. They entered the Jedi Council's chambers and bowed respectfully. Yoda sat deep in meditation. With a small noise of surprise, he opened his eyes.  
  
"Ahh...young Skywalker." breathed Yoda.  
  
"Did you escort Senator Amidala to Naboo safely?" inquired Mace Windu.  
  
Anakin flinched a little at the mention of Amidala's name. The flinch was barely visible unless one was looking for it. "Yes, Master Windu. I was delayed because she asked me to stay with her for a month on Naboo and then guard her on her journey to Coruscant."  
  
"I see. You seem to have become closer to the force since you left on your mission. Do you feel ready to begin the trials?" inquired Mace.  
  
Anakin had not expected this. Few Jedi were able to take the trials at his age. Most had to wait another 5 years. Before Anakin could answer with a strong yes, Obi Wan burst in. "No, he cannot be ready to take the trials!" started Obi Wan, but he caught himself "I mean no disrespect, Master Windu but he is not ready. He still has much to learn. He has yet to learn to control his feelings."  
  
Yoda merely nodded slowly. Anakin would have shot Obi Wan a look of venom if he did not have the discipline of a Jedi. Mace thought for a moment and began again, "I see. We shall discuss this matter and make a decision at that time. Anakin, you may leave."  
  
Mace pressed a button and another chair emerged from the floor for Obi Wan to sit at. He motioned for him to sit down. Anakin left looking casual but hating Obi Wan on the inside with a fiery passion. He made his way to the turbolift and went to visit Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine was the only one that understood. He had almost been a father to him (A/N: hehe mental image). Anakin told Palpatine's secretary droid that he was there to see him and almost immediately the Chancellor came striding out to greet him. "Ah, young Skywalker, how good to see you. What brings you here?"  
  
Anakin took the seat in front of Palpatine's desk as the Chancellor sat down. "Master Windu asked if I was ready to take the trials, which I am. I've been ready but Obi Wan said that I wasn't. He's holding me back! If it weren't for Obi Wan, I would become a Jedi Knight in only a few days."  
  
Palpatine looked into his stim tea very thoughtfully. "You don't need the Jedi Council's approval to be a Jedi. You already are a Jedi Knight. The Council is now just a bunch of bickering old fools that don't understand what power you have. Under my guidance, you could become the most powerful of all Jedi."  
  
Anakin looked up at him in surprise. Did he just hear the Supreme Chancellor insult the Jedi Council? But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was right. "Yes. You're right. I don't need them. Any of them." He muttered absentmindedly.  
  
The Chancellor almost grinned. "You can start by accompanying General Tarkin, leader of Srao, on the Executor, the finest Star Destroyer in the fleet, to Srao to install the new government." In response to Anakin's quizzical look, he explained, "Using my emergency powers, I have called forth for a stronger government. We hope to eliminate crime by increasing the numbers of law enforcement and making stricter laws."  
  
With an excited nod, Anakin said "That'd be perfect. When does the Executor leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow at 800 standard time," explained Palpatine. Seeing Anakin's eager face, he added, "Yes. I think you'll become the most powerful of all Jedi."  
  
A/N: Review! Constructive criticism greatly appreciated. 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: If you're interested in the story and you want me to e-mail you when I update, just e-mail me. Address in profile. I don't have support services so my way of an author alert.  
  
Solor: Don't worry, it'll all tie in. That first defiance isn't the major one. He didn't go up to Yoda and go "Screw you, you little muppet!" or anything like that. The council still isn't aware of his anger. The Separtists will tie in later. I'm probably going to say screw that whole volcano thing it was probably just a metaphor but yes, there will be an Obi Wan battle. It's going to be blah for a while, just bear with me until I set it all up.  
  
Chapter 3 After Anakin had left, Obi Wan began talking "I'm sorry for my disrespect, Master Windu, but I have felt something around him that I had not before. If I had not noticed it, I would have agreed with you."  
  
Mace looked a little surprised "I did not reach out to feel his thoughts. Do you know anything else about what you felt?"  
  
"It might have been nothing but it's better to be cautious. With Anakin, it's hard to tell anything. It felt like he felt more accomplished yet he carried a greater burden. It seemed that he was trying to hide whatever it was."  
  
Mace merely nodded.  
  
Yoda looked up at Obi Wan, "Yes. It I have felt also. (A/N: Whoa it's hard to write for Yoda) More he knows than has been revealed, perhaps. A close eye on young Skywalker, we shall keep."  
  
Mace shook his head. "Anakin is cunning enough to know something is happening if we watch him too carefully. We need to give him enough room to feel that we are not watching him at every moment yet still know he cannot do anything too rash without us knowing. I suggest we give him a day or two to rest, then we shall meet with him again. I shall pre- meditate as to be able to probe deeper into his mind."  
  
Yoda nodded, "A good point, Master Windu makes. Before us, bring him in two days at 1500 standard time."  
  
Obi Wan bowed respectfully. "Very well then. Thank you for your time." He turned and left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
(A/N: I really hope FFN doesn't screw up those 3 *s I put up there ^)  
  
The next morning at 800 standard time...  
  
Anakin had thought about what he was about to do that whole night. The Jedi Council would be looking for him within the week. No one could know that he was Anakin Skywalker. Instead, he used Electric Clothing (A/N: Yeah I made it up, sue me) to create a cloak that was programmed to stay over his head and cover his face and veil it in shadow at all times. He purchased a voice changing device and attached it to his neck where his voice box was. He came up with an alias. Lord Vader.  
  
He had talked to Emperor Palpatine a few hours before that. Palpatine assured the young Jedi that if anyone wanted to know where he was, he would offer no information. He had told Anakin that his title was Lord and that all aboard the Star Destroys were his equals or worse. Tarkin had been told that Anakin was a Jedi known as Vader sent to assist in the installation of the Imperial Law.  
  
He walked up the ramp into the Star Destroyer. After a few seconds of looking at a holo-map, he was heading towards the briefing room where General Tarkin was. The door opened with a hiss and Anakin walked inside.  
  
"Greetings, Lord Vader," said General Tarkin in a professional tone as he motioned to the seat across from him. There was no one else in the room.  
  
"Greetings, General Tarkin. What are your plans?" replied Anakin, trying hard to act like a general.  
  
"The only resistance on the planet is in the valley of Ruuk. The Te'Lek, a crime organization, has sided with some rebels and have forced out the citizens that will not join them. We estimate their numbers to be anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000. We hope to capture Landis Te'Lek, the leader of this movement and the Te'Lek. If we can capture him, we'll have a public execution to keep the rest of the citizens in line. If not, no big loss. He still dies.We'll land our troops using Attack Gunships (the ones in ep2 on Geonosis. Here's a link if you still don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.theforce.net/episode2/ships/pics/gunship.jpg) on either side of the valley, blocking all escape. If any ships try to fly out, the anti air cannons attached to the Attack Gunships will destroy them. Five gunships will land at each side and a transport ship carrying 500 troops will land in the middle. We should easily be able to handle the resisters. The only weapons they have are mainly blasters with few rifles." Explained Tarkin looking proud of his army.  
  
Anakin nodded. "I see. What am I to do?"  
  
Tarkin looked a little surprised, "I did not think that you wanted to assist in the combat." Tarkin thought quickly, "Ah! You can land on the ridge of the valley in a one man craft and using a shield, be protected by stray fire while using force powers."  
  
"Hmm..."Anakin thought it over carefully. After considering how he could use his force powers to aid Clone Troopers, he nodded. Suddenly a thought struck him. "Why not just use long range laser cannons from the Star Destroyer to destroy the valley?"  
  
Tarkin chuckled, "You have a good mind for war tactics, Lord Vader. I was told by Chancellor Palpatine that you would be useful as a guardian but not half as good at planning an attack but apparently, he was mistaken. That would be the best course of action, but these are special circumstances. Srao is the only core planet to have any valuable resources. Mainly glitterstim. We supply most of Coruscant's glitterstim and most of it lies within that valley. Star Destroyer cannons would take a chunk out of the planet, destroying all the glitterstim buried there. We will lose a large portion of glitterstim in an attack since the warehouses will probably be destroyed but it is not enough to be worth halting the attack for."  
  
Anakin nodded again, "Ahh...I was not aware that Srao produced glitterstim."  
  
"Not many are. We will be close enough to launch an attack force at 600 tomorrow. The attack force will land at 700 and will hopefully be on its way back by 900. Dismissed."  
  
Anakin bowed, not knowing what else to do, and walked out of the room in long strides. He spent the rest of the day walking around the Star Destroyer, then went to the Officer's Bar for refreshments where he lost 500 credits very quickly at sabaac (is it sabaac or sabacc?), a game he rarely played.  
  
A/N: Review! If you know more about Star Wars than me and I screwed up tell me. Action scene in Chapter 5 at the latest so stay tuned. Once again: Review! 


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